


Distance

by sharkyclarky



Category: Being Human (UK)
Genre: Angst, F/M, Ghosts, Romance, Unfinished Business, Vampires
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-29
Updated: 2016-01-29
Packaged: 2018-05-17 00:30:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,999
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5846947
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sharkyclarky/pseuds/sharkyclarky
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"I will make sure to keep my distance - Say I love you when you're not listening - How long until we call this love"<br/>Alex and Hal are both trying to keep their distance from the other one, but what will happen when their feelings are exposed and Alex's business is finally finished.<br/>Based on Christina Perri's song Distance and posted on FF.Net</p>
            </blockquote>





	Distance

It was dawn now; sun was beginning to flit through the gap in Hal's curtains, the ones that were perfectly symmetrical on the hanging bar, an equal amount of material on each side. Alex was sat silently on the sofa, watching the sleeping form on the bed, a huddled lump beneath the covers. He lay perfectly still on his side, his body straight with only his head peeping from above the covers, a scruffy mess of dark hair and pale skin.

She smiled quietly, pulling the curtains open, the way she did some mornings, letting the sun fill the room with its orange and pink glow.

_Sun is filling up the room._

She thought, fiddling with the laces of her clunky boots, longing for nothing more than to take the blasted things off. One month, exactly one month tonight that she died in that cellar, Cutler having dragged her there with his lackeys before, quite literally, tearing out her throat.

There were times when she thought she could feel it, the gaping wound on her throat, but whenever she reached for it, the pain subsided. Perhaps it was a ghost thing, she never did get the chance to ask Annie if she always had a permanent headache, it wasn't exactly what came up in their conversation, plus she was too busy decided whether or not to blow up a baby.

How had no one noticed this world existed, well, besides Rook and his minions? How had no one known about the monsters that lurked in the shadows, or in the pubs or in the very same house? But everything was accentuated now, all the stories about vampires and werewolves were all true, but they were also different.

How could she have let this happen? How could she have let herself be dragged into this world? One night, that's all she wanted, to just have a quick holiday shag and then be back with her family in Scotland in time for her brothers to get back to school.

Trust her to pick the one man in the whole of Barry Island who was going to rip her throat out at the first chance he got.

It used to bother her; it used to infuriate her that he dared to drag her into this world, to make her what she was. She was trapped forever in the girly green dress she'd worn for their date, the blasted boots from the depths of hell and the worlds sexiest, yet most uncomfortable bra in the history of all bra's, and all because of him.

She should hate him, she shouldn't want to be anywhere near him, let alone in his room while he slept, but she just didn't have the heart to leave. Funny how being dead changed your perspective on things like this, not that this was at all a normal circumstance.

Hal's body tensed suddenly, all his muscles going rigid. Alex froze, had he realised she was in here, had her presence alerted him. She knew how he was about these sorts of things, how much he needed order, and somehow, a ghost sitting on his sofa watching him sleep was hardly part of his routine.

He tossed and turned, his body flailing across the single bed, the covers falling to his waist to reveal his toned stomach, sheathed in cold sweat. Alex never knew that vampires could sweat. But she didn't know they could sleep or dream either so maybe there was more for her to discover in this world.

_And I can hear you dreaming._

She could hear his harsh breathing, the pained expression on his face making her feel a sense of sympathy she'd never felt before. What could he possibly be seeing that was causing him so much anguish, what could possibly frighten Hal Yorke to the point that he had to bite his own lip just to stop from screaming out.

Alex stood, she didn't know why; maybe it was the maternal instinct from having seen her brothers have nightmares, but she found herself on her feet, walking slowly towards the bed where Hal was currently fisting his quilt in his hands, the muscles and veins of his arms standing out prominently as his face screwed up in pain.

_Do you feel the way I do, right now._

She thought idly as she reached forward, her ghostly hand slowly moving towards his face, to stroke his hair, to try and give him some comfort, she didn't know why, but she was doing it.

Before her hand even touched his face, his body fell slack, every muscle relaxing as his face stopped looking so pained. It was when he was like this, peaceful and relaxed that Alex had to remind herself just how old this man really was, he wasn't young like she was, just barely an adult, he was centuries of years old. Her dad always warned her about age gaps, but this was a little more extreme than what he meant.

"I wish we could just give up" she whispered, her hand still hovering above his head, longing so badly to touch his skin, to ruffle his hair, to feel some connection with someone, to just have one gentle thing.

She thought back to the days when she was alive, of getting drunk with her friends in Scotland, of spending the night with inappropriate people. Quite frankly all of them seemed like saints now in comparison to the five-hundred year old, mass murderer who she was currently watching sleep. Great, now she was a stalker.

_'_ _Cause the best part is falling._

She remembered her first boyfriend, how much she adored him, how much she wanted to be with him. Back then she was so sure she loved him with her whole heart, she thought she was going to spend the rest of her life with that boy. In comparison to what this thing with Hal – whatever it was – that relationship was a playground short of being a pre-school romance.

She wondered what this _thing_ with Hal was, they couldn't really call it a relationship, and neither of them would ever call it that anyway. But could it honestly be a friendship? What she had with Tom, that was a friendship, where they could talk and laugh and watch TV together, but with Hal. What could she call it, they barely spoke, they very rarely stayed in the same room together and he was tangentially involved with her death.

_Call it anything but love._

Alex knew that whatever they were, it was what Hal wanted it to stay as, nothing more than awkward glances and spending time together only if Tom was involved. It was frustrating, how was she supposed to spend eternity walking this earth until her door appeared if the only other person who was going to last as long as she was could hardly look at her.

_I'll make sure to keep my distance._

She thought, finally letting her hovering hand fall a little more, landing on top of his head, his hair bristling through the gaps in her fingers. She didn't move; just let her hand stay within his hair, watching with a smile as he moved slightly into her touch, a content, peaceful sigh falling from his lips.

"I love you" she said, knowing he wasn't listening to a word she said. At least she hoped he wasn't listening, that would be incredibly hard to explain, especially with their predicament. She smiled at Hal, her face softer than it had been in a long time. She may be dead, but never had she felt so free in her whole life.

Sure, she missed her brothers and her dad, probably more than anything else in this entire world, and sure she couldn't eat, sleep or have sex anymore, but maybe she didn't need those things. Those, along with emotional things, they were what made someone human, and maybe she was finally accepting she wasn't human.

"How long can we keep this up?" she said, laughing softly as she ran her fingers through his hair, he smiled slightly, a tiny insignificant thing that made Alex feel unbearably warm inside.

Just as she was getting used to the faint, almost nonexistent feeling of Hal's hair beneath her fingers, his eyelids began to flutter, a tell tale sign that he was about to wake up.

Without hesitating, she withdrew her hand from his hair and rent-a-ghosted as far away from his room as she could, landing soundlessly in the kitchen. She fell against the counter with an agitated and very un-ladylike huff, running her slim fingers through her thick, short hair.

She never even saw how Hal woke up that morning, with the sun on his skin not even making him wince, a small smile on his face as he ran a hand through his hair, feeling the ghost of a hand against his skin.

* * *

Hal was washing up after breakfast, Tom was stood in the living room doing up the buttons of his red waistcoat while Alex tied his tie for him. He watched slightly out of the corner of his eyes so as not to draw any unwanted attention to the fact he was observing, of how he envied the way Alex and Tom were so comfortable with each other. How he longed just for a shred of that familiarity, but even now, he couldn't look at Alex for more than a few seconds without feeling the surge of horrific guilt that filled him up just from looking in her dark eyes.

The slightest sight of movement and he returned to his apple scented washing up liquid and his marigolds. The door opened a few moments later, but Hal didn't turn to look, he didn't need to. The lack of overpowering scent human blood had and the fact there were no sounds of footsteps could only mean it was one person. Alex.

"Well, Tom still seems to think we need some sort of bonding time" She said as she came to stand next to him, her back against the cupboards, hands gripping the edge and her head hanging back as she stared at the ceiling. "The three of us, I mean" she added hastily, making Hal smile slightly as the softness of her accent when she spoke. "And then we get to work some more on my unfinished business."

_Please don't stand so close to me._

He thought to himself, ghosts didn't have a strong scent, but they had enough of one that Hal's senses were burning with the soft, natural scent that followed her around. It was faint, as faint as it was when she touched him, but it was still there, and Hal had a habit of almost losing control whenever that happened.

"Any, hoo" she said, flipping the switch on the kettle listening to the bubbling that roared up since it was only recently boiled. "I promised Tom some tea before he leaves for work" without warning, she leant over him, swiping a mug from the draining board in her pale hands.

_I'm having trouble breathing._

Her scent filled his nostrils, so faint, the way she used to smell before she was torn from this world, a strange mixture of the outdoors, the scent that was always associated with a forest, and something softer, girly even. A floral scent of perfume. The perfume she wore for their date, he realised.

Hal held his breath, not moving from where he stood, leaning back so as to avoid any actual contact with her. She didn't seem to notice. She pulled back, he could see her in the corner of his eyes still, she was looking at him, the mug held a lot looser than he would have liked. Why did she have to do that, she could have rent-a-ghosted around him, or used her telekinetic power to make the mug fly across the room. Why did she have to be so close to him? This was torture.

He turned away, desperate not to look her in the eye, he couldn't feel like that, he couldn't feel the immeasurable guilt right now, he simply couldn't let her see what he was hiding, and Hal knew more than most that the eyes were the windows to the soul. Hal's soul may be gone, but what took it's place, he couldn't have Alec seeing that.

_I'm afraid of what you'll see, right now._

* * *

This morning Hal had awoken to the sun on his face, but he didn't feel a single ounce of discomfort, nothing at all, he felt nothing, just warmth from the sun, something he didn't think he'd ever find pleasant again. He'd had the strangest dream as well.

He was working in the café, clearly Tom was on his lunch break or something. He was mopping the floor, singing to himself fairly loudly, there was no one in the café to hear him, so there weren't any issues. The bell above the door chimed silencing him immediately.

Bringing himself up to his full height, Hal turned quickly to the customer in the doorway.

"Can I have five teas, please?" the woman said. She was young, young and beautiful, with short brown hair swept scruffily to one side, her dark eyes were friendly and she was smiling happily at Hal making his no longer beating heart leap in his chest.

He should have marvelled at her beauty then, he should have introduced himself, or at least gotten the tea's she had asked for. But he couldn't think of anything else apart from the gentle thumping of her pulse beneath the pale skin of her naked throat.

"Hello?" she said again, her soft Scottish accent falling into dead ears as Hal stared at the thumping of her pulse, the way it increased the closer he got. She was scared and Hal relished in it, the scent of the adrenaline thumping through her veins. "Okay, Sugar" she said, stepping back slightly, her heavy boots thumping on the floor. "I'm going to come back another time" she said and turned to go.

Hal pounced then, she grabbed the girl by the throat, pinning her up against the wall, she didn't scream like the others, she barely seemed to struggled, just let herself be pinned to the wall. Hal didn't hesitate, his eyes turned black and his fangs were out and he wasted no time sinking them into her throat, her soft, pale throat.

The taste of the blood exploded in his mouth, the beauty of it as it spilled from the corners of his lips, running down his chin and splattering onto his apron.

He pulled back, licking the blood off his lips, his fingers, wherever he had managed to spill it. The girl didn't bother to even put pressure on her wound as she slumped on the floor, her legs finally loosing the ability to hold up her slim frame, her boot's spreading more mud onto the clean floor.

"You've waiting a long time to do that, haven't you?" she said, her dark eyes searching his, she didn't looked scared; she didn't even looked hurt, just disappointed. "Every time I think I know who you are it turns out I'm wrong, usually because somebody's dead" she said, her voice faltering slightly as the blood continued to pump from the wound in her throat, staining her shirt, her denim shorts and slickening the collar of her leather jacket so it shined in the dim café light.

"Alex" Hal whispered, suddenly aware of his surroundings, who he was with and what he'd just done. "No, Alex, no" he said, falling down next to her, pulling her into his lap as he grabbed the nearest dishcloth, holding it to Alex's throat. "Alex, no, I'm so sorry. Alex, please" he said, rocking slightly as he held her, the blood was now covering her throat entirely, no sign of her pales skin anywhere and it smothered her chin, her green checked shirt drowned in it.

"Only a matter of time until it was me." She said, looking up at him, her eyelids flittering slightly.

"Alex, please, I cant stop the bleeding!" he exclaimed helplessly, finally feeling as tears left his eyes, not knowing when the last time he'd ever cried was.

"Then what's the point?" she said, her voice growing cold. "You shouldn't be talking to girls and being charming. You should have a fucking sign around your neck, and a bell." Her voice was disgusted, like Hal was the most insulting this she had ever laid eyes on, like she was seeing the monster he really was. "You should be living in a cave!"

He was suddenly lying on the sofa in the living room, Tom was clearly out, but Hal knew he wasn't alone. His head was lying against something, something warm and comforting. The images of Alex dying in his arms were still flittering behind his eyelids, the weight of her in his arms as her life drained away, the pure disgust as she looked at him with dying eyes. The thought made him shudder unpleasantly.

He could feel something against his head, the soft feeling of someone stroking his head, the same touch that must have lured him from the retched hell of seeing Alex dying in his arms. Leaning into the touch, he let his eyes open; he was definitely in the living room, his face towards the television.

"How long can we keep this up?" said a soft, Scottish voice as her fingers continued to run through her hair, just as he turned to look at her, to answer her, but the world suddenly shifted and he woke up, the feeling of her hand still present on his head.

* * *

_I'll give you everything I am, all my broken heartbeats._

That dream wasn't the first, nor would it be the last time he saw Alex dying, him being the monster that killed her, he couldn't do it any more. He had to help her, for her sake, he had to help her move on, to pass over, to finally let go.

Everything, that's what he would give this girl, this girl so alike to every other girl he'd met, yet so different as well, he would give her everything there was to give. It may have seemed inadequate in his eyes, but he would never understand the gravity of what he was sacrificing, all for this one girl.

_Until I know you'll understand._

Because Hal needed for her to understand, he needed her to know what it was he was giving her. He needed her to pass over; he needed this to end, however much he wanted it to stay forever.

"You alright there, sugar?" Alex asked, the finished cup of tea held in her slim hands as he looked at her. He hadn't even realised he'd turned around, his hazel eyes fixed on her brown ones as she raised a perfectly shaped eyebrow at him.

"Alex-" he started, knowing he had to tell her, to make her understand what was going on, to tell her that she didn't have to go, that he didn't want her to go. But he couldn't make the words come out.

_I'll make sure to keep my distance._

"Alex, I gotta go work now" Tom said from the other room and Alex's eyes flitted briefly to the door before returning to Hal's once more.

"I better go see him off," Alex said, surprisingly breathlessly. She gave Hal one last, sweet smile before walking into the living room.

"- I love you" Hal said, even though she wasn't listening. He watched through the kitchen window as she gave Tom his tea, her face alight with happiness as he gave her a quick, bone-crushing hug before bouncing out of the room.

_How long can we keep this up?_

He thought before pulling the marigolds off of his hands, preparing to go upstairs, he needed a distraction, he needed sense and order and everything about this girl was the exact opposite. She was everything he avoided, everything he didn't need, yet she was everything to him.

* * *

It was late that evening, Tom had disappeared up to bed about an hour ago, leaving Hal and Alex, both sitting on opposite ends of the sofa, the television blaring before them. Whenever the other wasn't looking they'd always chance a look, trying to get a glimpse of what the other was feeling even if they wouldn't show it.

"They buried me last week" Alex suddenly said, her eyes staring at the TV, not at all noticing what was playing on the screen. "And I keep waiting-" she said, but stopped, she didn't want to say it, she couldn't.

_For you to take me._

She thought, wanting for him to give her a sign, just the smallest incline that he even wanted her to stay, that he didn't want her to pass over, but rather for him to wrap her in his arms and tell her he wanted her to stay. This of course with a five-hundred year old, OCD vampire was about as likely as Tom writing the entire works of Shakespeare with a typewriter.

_And you keep waiting._

"I'm sorry to hear that" he said, glancing at her slightly, watching as she rested her elbow on the armrest, her head resting on her hand. "Don't worry, Alex" he said, reaching hesitantly for the hand he had sat next to her on the sofa. He felt her cold, almost non-existent fingers wrap around his hand instantly, her eye's finding his as quickly as she could. "We will find your unfinished business" he said and smiled slightly at her, a smile that didn't quite meet his eyes before dropping her hand.

_To say what we have._

Alex didn't know what she was expecting, for him to confess his feelings, something that was highly unlikely for a man like Hal. But she couldn't help noticing the pained look in his eyes, like he was holding back from saying something, something she desperately wanted him to say.

"Well maybe I don't want to go," she said suddenly, breaking their eye contact to look back at the television. Hal choked slightly, swearing he'd misheard her. If he hadn't finished his tea half an hour ago, he was sure he would have spat it back out.

"You don't want to go?" he asked, trying to keep the hope from his voice as he looked at her. She turned slightly, her head still resting on her hand, but she looked at him, she saw the hope in his hazel eyes, and what he didn't say was suddenly said, she soon understood.

"Not just yet" she said with a soft smile. "But I need to know what else there is for me here" she said, shrugging slightly, like her words meant nothing.

"Me" he said too quickly, his eyes widening as he heard his own words. Alex had heard him though, he cleared his throat and Alex sat up straighter in her seat. "There's me."

"Then why do I have to make sure to keep my distance" she said, raising an eyebrow slightly, Hal could have laughed at how much they seemed to think alike. Just this morning he'd decided to keep his distance from her, just to hear she was trying to do the same. "Why do I have to say I love you when you're not listening?" she exclaimed, suddenly on her feet, her arms flailing in the air.

But Hal just stared at her, seeing this woman in a whole new light, this beautiful, exciting, dead woman, how could she possible feel the need to keep her distance. "How long can we keep this up?" She asked, snapping Hal from his reverie.

Hal was on his feet now, looking down at her from where he stood. He was only a few inches away from her, had she been breathing she was sure her breath would be tickling his face.

"How long," Hal said, and Alex looked at him questioningly. He reached out his hand, cupping Alex's cold cheek. Could she feel that? His touch, was it there on her ghostly skin? "How long until we call this love?" he asked with a smile, one Alex returned with even more fervour.

She didn't answer him. Instead, she wrapped her arms are his neck, one of her hands going to his hair. Hal froze, he wasn't used to this, he wasn't used to not having control over something, and this, this was very new.

When she pressed her lips to his it all melted away, everything. The guilt, the memories of his horrific dreams, the thought of having to stay away from her, all of it. They pulled apart, not out of choice, not from lack of breath but something else.

The windows were black, it being the early hours of the morning, but a strange white light was shinning in thin swatches across the walls and floor. They both looked, simultaneously towards the source, a breath that Alex didn't know she had was lodged in her throat, her body feeling even colder, more distant now that Hal's arms weren't around her.

"It's it, isn't it?" Alex asked, her voice panicked. "It really is it." she said looking between a distraught looking Hal and the door that had materialized to the side of their television.

"It's it." Hal said, suddenly guarded again. "It's your door." he finished, looking at the ordinary looking glass door, the kind that no doubt adorned the front of her Scottish home, the glass opaque with light shinning  through it's windows. 

Alex sighed, her ghostly heart breaking at the sight of Hal in poorly disguised pain.

"I guess you missed something from your list," He said, trying to force a smile and failing. Alex smiled sadly, a tear falling down her cheek as she shook her head at him, no.

He raised an eyebrow, about to ask when Alex reached into the pocket of her leather jacket, pulling out the neatly folded list with her unfinished business on, each of them crossed off. She held it out to him and he took it curiously, looking down the list at whatever it was he'd missed.

"Turn it over" she said in a choked voice, not even bothering to wipe away the tears that fell. Without questioning, Hal turned the slim piece of paper over, sucking in a sharp breath when he read the only line on the page.

_13\. Fall in love._

"So you really-" Hal began, but cut himself off, seeming to think better of it. Alex nodded, unconsciously moving closer to her door, the pull of the afterlife too strong for even her to resist. "Goodbye, Alex" he said boldly, his eyes betraying the strong smile on his face. "I hope I shall one day see you again." he said with a slight nod of his head.

"But what about Tom?" she asked frantically, staring at Hal, her eyes continually flitting to the door - to _her door_.

"I will explain what happened," he said "You need not worry yourself." he said, taking a deep, shaking breath. "We understand that you would choose the afterlife, everyone does. Now please, you don't have much time." he said again, indicating with the door.

Alex looked at it before returning her gaze to Hal once more, only to see he had his eyes shut tightly, as though he was fighting through a wave of pain, trying to block out the world for just a moment.

Taking that as the answer to her unasked question, Alex walked towards her door, gripping the cool handle in her hands, and feeling in that moment more solid than she had in a long time. With a deep breath, she turned the handle and wrenched the door open.

Hal heard the door open, saw the blinding white light through his eyelids, but he couldn't look, he couldn't see her leave. If he saw her leave then he had to accept that she wasn't coming back, and it was clear that she wasn't coming back.

Listening intently as Alex drew in a heavy, shaky sigh, Hal clenched his eyes shut even tighter, the blinding light still prominent through his eye lids. He heard her take a deep, unnecessary breath before the door slammed shut, the light vanishing as quickly as it had arrived. She hadn't even said goodbye.

It was as if the bottom of the world fell away. She was gone, passed over, she was never coming back. Hal would never see Alex again. Yet still, he couldn't bring himself to open his eyes.

He couldn't even stand the thought of looking at the empty wall space, the space where he had seen the door appear, the last place she had even stood in this house, and he didn't even have the courage to watch her as she left.

The house was silent, Hal had a feeling that it was going to be incredibly quiet for a long time. How long had it taken for Hal to finally say what it was they had, and now even that was gone.

Hal was about to open his eyes, to brace the world without her and to move one, but he was halted by something he didn't expect in a hundred lifetimes.

He felt a pair of arms snake around his waist, a soft, yet powerful force pressed against his chest as soft hairs tickled his chin.

Cracking an eye open, he peered down at the weight on his chest, his redundant breath snagging in his throat at the sight he saw.

There she was, clear as day, her head on his chest, her arms locked tightly around his waist, her eyes shut as her faint, yet very real, scent flittered up into his nostrils, fogging his brain of rational thought. He hesitated for a moment, both from disbelief and the uncomfortable loss of power in this situation, but then, instinctively, his arms went around her shoulders, holding her closer to him as he inhaled her soft scent.

"Alex?" he stammered out finally, murmuring into her short hair. "You're still here" he said disbelievingly, then, seeming to have finally noticed the situation before him, he pushed her back, his hands on her shoulders as he stared into her dark eyes. " _You're still here_." he said, a panicked tone to his voice "Why are you still here? That was your door. Why in God's name are you still here?" he was looking at her like she was crazy, like she was dangerous, something he felt almost guilty to be harbouring. Looking at her like she was a fugitive.

"I guess I still have some unfinished business left here." Alex said with a small smile, a cautious smile, like she was worried that Hal was about to explode in her face.

"But you turned down death!" Hal exclaimed, looking at her like she was insane, like she'd been offered everything anyone ever dreamed of on a plate, and turned it down.

"Like I said," she continued, trying to make him understand "I still have some unfinished business."

"But- but the door-" Hal began, pointing to the blank space on the wall

"Isn't our problem right now. The evil morris dancers can wait." she said, stepping out from under his hands, letting them fall back to his sides, a dubious expression on his face. "If you want..." Alex began, watching Hal face carefully, the way his eyes seemed to be scanning over every inch of her pale skin, trying to memorise her, should she almost disappear again. "...I can keep my distance"

"No!" Hal said hastily, the seeming to realise how rash he sounded, he righted himself, straightening his back. "I just mean, no, I don't want you to keep your distance." he said, looking from her lips to her eyes. "I don't want you to have to do that ever again" he said.

Alex smiled a sweet yet mischievous smile. Hal raised an eyebrow at her, just before she disappeared, reappearing a second later in front of him, no less than two inches from his face.

"Good" she said, her voice a soft whisper "Then I wont." Hal smiled, wrapping his arms around her shoulders again, letting her body fit perfectly to his, the way it seemed to do. "Say i.t" she whispered against his chest, her hand resting above the non-existent beat of his heart, drawing small circles on his shirt with a slim, ringed finger, watching as Hal's eyes followed it perfectly.

Clearly this was going to take some time for him to get used to.

"While I'm listening" she finished, looking into his hazel eyes as they snapped away from her finger. He smirked slightly, placing a hand on the back of Alex's neck, the other on the small of her back. At her questioning eyebrow, her spun slightly, letting her fall back in his arms, dipping her like he used to when he danced in Paris with girls whose names he never could remember.

She squeaked slightly, grabbing a fistful of Hal's shirt so as to stop herself from falling, not realising how Hal held her ghostly weight perfectly. Leaning his head down, he moved closer to her, stopping with his lips beside her ear, the soft ends of her short hair tickling his cheek.

"I love you" he murmured in her ear, revelling in the way her ghostly body seemed to shiver at his proximity. Pulling back, she kissed him gently, Hal stiffening only for a moment when their lips touched before he seemed to fall into it.

"How long can we keep this up?" Alex asked when they pulled apart, looking into his eyes as he pulled her back into a standing position. "How long until Tom finds out?" she asked, smiling all the while. Had her blood still ran through her veins, Hal was sure he would see it pinking her cheeks right now.

"As long as you want" he replied, grabbing Alex's hand, spinning her elegantly, the way he had done so many years ago in a ballroom, with women whose name's were long gone. She giggled in a way Hal never thought she could, her green skirts fanning out from under her leather jacket before she was pulled back against Hal's chest, one hand in his, the other on his shoulder, as his free one went to her waist.

It may be a centuries old tradition, one Alex was far from familiar with, but Hal couldn't help but feel it was the way to go. He was now officially courting Alex, the ghost, making sure she was going to fall in love with him more and more every day, as he fell even further alongside her.

They were so caught up with one another, their eyes locked, the didn't even notice the werewolf watching from the stairs, his hands gripping the banister, a knowing smile, so foreign to his usual naïve grin, settled on his face as he watched the vampire and the ghost.

"'Bout bloody time" he said quietly, before disappearing back up the stairs, ready to awake to a morning of awkward glances and sneaky smiles as he ate his toast before work. Maybe now that the inevitable had happened, it was time for Tom to complete their little family, the way he had wanted to for a while. After all, how long could he keep this up, keeping his distance like that?

When he reached his room, he grabbed the phone on the bedside table; dialling the number he had long since learnt by heart, his eyes flitting across each photo on his wall, of all the happy families and smiling faces. The tone lasted for two rings until a sleepy, slightly agitated voice slipped down the phone, one Tom quickly replied to.

"Allison, it's me. It's Tom."


End file.
